16bit MCU adds accelerator for power supply control
Renesas Electronics has launched a 16bit microcontroller with a dedicated accelerator for power supply control designs.
The Renesas RL78/G24 features the highest performance among all the devices in the RL78 family, boosting its performance with an application-specific Flexible Application Accelerator (FAA) and a fast CPU that can achieve an operating frequency of 48MHz.
Using the FAA, the MCU can distribute tasks such as inverter control, encryption, sensing, and arithmetic operations efficiently and independently of the CPU, substantially boosting processing speed.
Developers developing with the RL78/G24 can use the Smart Configurator to generate driver code for peripheral functions via a graphical user interface (GUI), similar to other RL78 devices. Renesas also offers Model-Based Design using MATLAB and Simulink.
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The peripheral functions include analog and timer capabilities for power supply control as well as lighting and motor control. The 12bit A/D converter is capable of simultaneous sampling of 3 channels with a maximum conversion speed of 1 µs while the high-speed comparator has a latency of 50 ns.
The chip is also equipped with DALI-2 function for the lighting communication standard and has high temperature support up to 125°C for power supply designs.
“Traditionally, processing was done only by the CPU core and a significant burden was placed on the CPU. Tuning to achieve a balance between high-speed processing and CPU load took a considerable amount of time,” said Osamu Ogura, Software Development Manager, Industrial System Development Division of Tessera Techology, a Renesas eco-system partner.
“With the FAA capability that comes with the RL78/G24, we were able to divide the communication processing for the CPU and power control as with the FAA. This allowed us to shorten the development time overall.”
“Our collaboration with Renesas enables developers to use Model-Based Design to improve their system performance and identify issues before implementing on the MCU,” said Brian McKay, Global Strategic Partner Manager, MathWorks. “Mutual customers can use RL78 virtual models in Simulink to gain a variety of capabilities, including generating production-quality code, Processor-in-the-Loop testing, and maintaining a digital thread.”
The 3 x 3mm RL78/G24 offers a standby function to reduce power consumption. Customers can choose from two modes, HALT mode, which cuts power consumption by 60% compared to normal operation mode, and STOP mode, which reduces power consumption by 99% compared to HALT mode. These power-saving modes allow the device to use less power overall.
As an evaluation environment, users can take advance of the Fast Prototyping Board (FPB), which comes with Arduino Uno and Pmod Type 6A interfaces and Grove connectors for access to all pins. In addition, they can debug and program the device using only a USB cable. Evaluation kits for power and lighting applications are also available.
In addition to the high-end RL78/G24 device, the family also offers the RL78/G23, a new-generation standard model; the RL78/G22, a small-pin, small-memory version with enhanced capacitive touch functionality and lower power consumption; and the RL78/G15 and RL78/G16 that support an ambient operating temperature of 125°C for the 8-bit, small-pin MCU market.
The RL78/G16, for example, is available in a 10-pin package and a 3mm x 3mm package, which is the smallest pin count option with high-sensitivity touch keys. With its operational tolerance across a wide temperature range, the RL78/G16 can be mounted in high-temperature locations, enabling smaller systems and more flexible designs.
Renesas has combined the RL78/G24 with the RAA227063 smart gate driver and other analog and power products to create a Portable Power Tools reference design with motor driver, battery pack and battery charger.
The RL78/G24 is available today.
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